STUDY OF DRUG UTILIZATION PATTERN IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA AMONG PAEDIATRIC PATIENTS

Dr. Rajesh Kumar Verma, *Dr. Virendra Kushwaha, Dr. Pooja Agrawal, Dr. Mangeshkumar Tripathi and Dr. Vipul Shukla

ABSTRACT

Objective: Bronchial asthma (BA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by bronchial hyperresponsiveness & inflammation of bronchioles.[1] There is increasing trends in prevalence of bronchial asthma in kids which leads to increase in hospital admissions and absenteeism among children. There are various drugs and treatment modalities available for Bronchial Asthma. This study will evaluate the prescription pattern and improvement in symptoms in Bronchial Asthma patients attending OPD. Method: This study included 200 patients of Bronchial Asthma who fulfilled the study criteria and were observed for six months. There prescriptions were collected and analyzed on percentage basis. Result: Study shows 53% of children of Bronchial Asthma were of 6-10 years old with only 10.5% has had positive family history. Out of 200 only 29% had well controlled symptoms while 31% were not controlled. Number of drugs were 7 in 35% of prescriptions. Levosalbutamol is the most common prescribed drug in intermittent (60.5%) and in mild persistent asthma (96.9%) budesonide is most common prescribed drug in moderate (90.4%) and severe (52.5%) asthma. Most common preferred route of administration in all type of asthma is oral and inhalational. Conclusion: Treatment of Bronchial Asthma is mainly based on β2 agonist and inhaled steroids. Study suggested that we need a rational approach in providing antiasthmatic pharmacotherapy to children inspite of multidrug therapy.

Keywords: Antiasthmatic drug, asthma, Paediatric prescription pattern.